COLUMBUS, Ind. — The Healthy Communities Council of Bartholomew County is planning to take a more aggressive position against the local opioid epidemic.
The council believes limited treatment and recovery services are a significant contributor to the problem. The organization will apply a new leadership structure and immediate resources to accelerate possible solutions. Three committees will focus on different aspects of the opiate epidemic:
- Education and Prevention
- Law Enforcement and Judiciary tactics
- Treatment and Recovery
The council will launch the program on April 19 in the Commons at 6:30 p.m. Sam Quinones, author of “Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic,” will speak along with Dr. Kendall Stewart, a psychiatrist and chief medical officer of the Southern Ohio Medical Center in Portsmouth, Ohio. Copies of the book will be available at the event, or at Viewpoint Books and the Bartholomew County Public Library prior to April 19.
